PEOPLE living in the Tile Hill area of Coventry are being asked to share their views on the neighbourhood with police at a two-day, drop-in surgery.

Sgt Phil Radbourne, from Tile Hill sector police, said he hoped as many local people as possible would find time to call in and meet the officers.

They will be in a police caravan in Jardine Crescent from 10am to 6pm on Friday, August 17 and Saturday, August 18.

In particular, Sgt Radbourne - who heads a crime-fighting team of three dedicated officers - wants feedback from residents.

His team has been in place for just under four months, funded by the Home Office, and was set up in direct response to people saying they wanted to see more police on the streets around their homes.

Sgt Radbourne said: "We have had a really good response from people, who seem to be really glad to see us walking the beat.

They tell us they have not seen an officer around here for ages. "I think we have already seen a positive difference in the neighbourhood, but what I am interested in now is hearing from people about their own opinions, and where they feel we should now be concentrating our resources."

One of the measures adopted by the team has seen officers hand-delivering letters to parents of rowdy youngsters, in an effort to cut down on juvenile anti-social behaviour.

Sgt Radbourne said it was a move back to oldfashioned policing methods, where beat officers tried to nip potential crime in the bud and worked with families to solve problems. He said people were much more likely to come to the police with problems if beat officers were already familiar faces.

He added: "People are welcome to drop into the caravan for a quick chat, or to tell us about any problems they might be experiencing.

"If our own team cannot help we will be able to direct the matter to an officer who can."